Spanish Courses in Bilbao, Spain

Instituto Hemingway, Bilbao:
Instituto Hemingway is an established Spanish language school located in Bilbao in the Basque Country in Northern Spain. Accredited by the Cervantes Institute, we have over 21 years experience in designing and delivering customized programs for individuals and groups who want to learn about other cultures by studying or working abroad in Europe. We offer Spanish courses throughout the year, as well as excellent opportunities to undertake business, hospitality management, hotel and culinary arts internships / work experience programs in professional companies including paid jobs in hotels throughout Spain. We also offer Online Spanish Classes for groups and individuals - adults, children, high school students & families worldwide via a wide range of schedules.

Spanish Language Courses in Bilbao:
We offer a wide variety of Spanish language courses in Bilbao. Whether it is linguistic, academic or professional, our program is always tailored to meet your needs.

Lessons are lively and interactive, with discussions, projects, role-playing and specific tasks. Your progress is carefully monitored and your weaker points in the language are corrected immediately.

On the first day, you will be asked to do a placement test which will reflect your current level of proficiency and enable us to assign you to one of the groups that best suits your needs. There are six levels available from Basic to Proficient.


General Spanish Courses:
Our most popular and most requested Spanish language course involves 20 hours of Spanish lessons per week (4 hours per day).

To ensure that students get the individual attention that they need, the maximum class size is restricted to 10 although the average size is usually 5. 

The classes are taught in two sessions differentiated by their content and skills that they teach and are separated by a 30 minute break.

The first session focuses on the study of grammar and practicing reading and writing skills. The second concentrates on speaking and listening skills.


Preparation for the DELE Examination:
- Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language
If you are interested in preparing for the examinations that the Cervantes Institute run to obtain a Diploma of Spanish as a foreign language (DELE), count on us!

As a centre associated with the Cervantes Institute, Instituto Hemingway has readily available all of the resources so that preparing for the Diploma can be a success.

We have specific material, including past papers from previous years, and our teachers will help you with practical advice. Another advantage is that you can sit the exam in Bilbao.


Business Spanish Course:
The Spanish Business Course is a specialized Spanish course with a specific objective. It looks to ensure fast and complete progress, fostering the knowledge of the economic and business world and expanding vocabulary and the use of specific terms in the Spanish business world.

Theory is combined with onsite visits to relevant companies and institutions.

It consists of 20 hours Spanish classes per week with 8 of these devoted to Business Spanish and the remainder divided equally between grammar and vocabulary, conversation and reading and writing. It is also possible to complete a Certificate or Diploma qualification in Business Spanish.

Topics covered include:  
- Business: general questions; Human Resources: people and negotiation; Marketing and Publicity; Buying and Selling: commercial letters; Import and Export: payment documents, Incoterms etc; Finances: banking, means of payment, the Stock Exchange; Spanish and Hispano-American organizations: constitutions, political organization, society; Business negotiations; Legal matters.


Intensive Refresher Course for Teachers:
ELE Spanish Teacher Course, plus the option of gaining valuable experience working as a private tutor in a Spanish language school. 

This is an intensive two-week course of sixty units with a maximum of six students in a group. The course is for international Spanish teachers of all nationalities.

The object of this course is to bring teachers of Spanish as a second language (ELE) up-to-date with regard to the practical aspects of teaching, methodology and the historical / social aspects of Spain.

The offer includes specific grammar, the study and analysis of present day teaching methods, types of classes, the use of various teaching materials in the classroom and the classification and evaluation of students.

Classes cover customs, history, art, literature, sociology and Spanish politics.


Volunteer Work Program:
The volunteer program at Instituto Hemingway is a unique opportunity to live and work abroad. Become acquainted with the cultural wealth of our country while working with social institutions, thus contributing to society and building bridges between cultures.

Volunteering abroad opens up your professional and personal horizons and skills.

You learn about another culture and meet people from different places, improve fluency in another language, build an international network of friends and share and learn.

Participants can choose their area of volunteer work from social work, tourism, cultural work and monument restoration, among others.


Work Experience / Internship Programs: 
This program allows the possibility of doing an internship in companies from different countries in a variety of sectors. It is a magnificent opportunity to improve your fluency in the language of the target country, become better acquainted with foreign enterprises, while developing your professional potential. 

If you are 18 or over, and are interested in going overseas to do an internship, send us your Curriculum Vitae, and we will distribute it among the companies collaborating on the program.

The companies in turn, by means of a rigorous selection process, choose a placement student according to their needs.

The program starts with two weeks of Spanish classes at Instituto Hemingway, before actually beginning the practicum placement. Internships are held in locations all over Spain, including Bilbao, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga and Granada.

Opportunities are available in areas such as Agriculture, Architecture, Art, Business, Communications, Computer Technology, Education, Health Care, Hospitality Management, Travel & Tourism, Marketing, Law, Psychology, Social Work, Environment and Wildlife, Sport and Theological Studies.


Hospitality Internship Program:
This program allows you to live in another country with your stay all paid for. Live and work in Spain or other countries (Work in exchange for your stay).

We are offering you the best option for learning a new language and living within a new culture. The language learning process is well-rounded and your integration into the country is carried out in a hands-on way. Our objective is to offer you a stay of the utmost quality.

This program is designed for those students who wish to finance their stay and gain work experience in the hotel and / or catering sector.

Areas of Work:
We offer different posts in the hotel and catering sectors. The most common are: Hospitality management, waiter / waitress, concierge, receptionist, barman, cook & kitchen assistant. All of these positions are in high-class hotels.

Benefits of the Program:
- Learn the language of your chosen country
- Gain work experience and improve your CV
- Pay your way for your stay!
- Integrate into the culture and the country

Pre-requisites for Participation:
- Aged between 18 and 35 years
- Available for a minimum of 4 weeks and to enroll at least 1 month in advance of the date for which it is wanted to travel
- You are member of the European Union, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, USA, Australia, Canada, Japan or South Korea


Culinary Arts Internship:
- 4, 8 or 12 weeks - 30 hours of internship work per week
This program is designed for those who would like to learn, live, and work in the Spanish culinary arts industry.  This course is available at any time during the year. The program is flexible, and students can choose their own dates.

On completion of the culinary internship program, students have the opportunity of updating your professional resume with European cultural and culinary experience.


Further Spanish Courses:
• Afternoon Spanish Classes - 3 hrs/week
• Afternoon Plus Spanish Classes - 6 hrs/week
• Intensive Spanish Course - Combine General English with Afternoon Spanish Classes
• Intensive Crash Course for Executives
• Au-Pair Placement Program - (2 months +)
• Au-Pair Family Application - (2 months +)
• Summer Programs for Adults & College Students
• Year-Round & Summer Spanish Immersion Programs for Teens (for ages 13-17 years old, High School Group courses, private Spanish lessons, Homestay accommodation option).
• Virtual / Online Spanish classes via Skype / Zoom for individual students, groups, adults, children, high school students, family.

For further information on our Spanish courses & internship programs in Spain, please email us below.